More variants of the coronavirus appear in Mississippi as health officials continue vaccination efforts. 

Then, a leader at the state’s only tier one trauma facility reflects on a year of facing the coronavirus pandemic.

Plus, a recent economic study reveals a revitalized railway could bring a boost to coastal counties.

Segment 1:

More coronavirus variants are showing up in Mississippi. According to health officials, seven cases of the California variant have been identified - a variant State Health Officer Dr Thomas Dobbs says the is 25% more contagious. Also 26 infections from the U.K. variant and one case of the South African one have been discovered. State Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers the health department is monitoring the variants closely. For Dr. Dobbs, variant strains of the coronavirus are currently the most important factor in "getting back to normal". He's urging people to get vaccinated to slow the ability for variants to form and spread.

Segment 2:

The Magnolia State is mourning the 7,0000th COVID-19 related death this week. Mississippi surpassed the grim milestone over the weekend. COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations are down this month after reaching new heights earlier this year. But the mounting death toll serves as a reminder of how consequential the arrival of the coronavirus just over one year ago has been in Mississippi. The University of Mississippi Medical Center - the state's only tier one trauma center - has seen the reverberations of the pandemic up-close. Dr. Louann Woodward is Vice Chancellor at UMMC. In part one of our conversation, Dr. Woodward reflects on a year of battling the coronavirus within the walls of the hospital and throughout the greater Mississippi community.

Segment 3:

Signs of the massive destruction left by Hurricane Katrina still linger on the Mississippi Gulf Coast - nearly 16 years after the storm made landfall in Hancock County. Over the last decade and a half, progress has been made to revitalize the region - beginning with infrastructure and expanding to new tourist attractions. Now, the coastal counties are on the verge of renewing a tri-state rail service that could bring an added economic boost. Amtrak service from New Orleans to Mobile is scheduled to resume in 2022 with four stops along the coast. The passenger railway is expected to generate nearly half-a-billion dollars in economic impact and create up to 7,000 new tourism jobs. This is according to a recent study by the University of Southern Mississippi in cooperation with the Southern Rail Commission. John Robert Smith is the Chair of Transportation for America. He shares more on the study and how the region and the nation could see more investment in America's railways. 

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